Portable railway



(No Model.)

B. L. STREA'M. PQRT'ABLE RAILWAY.

No. 426,877. Patented Apr. 29, 1890.

UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

EDGAR LOUIS STREAM, OF NEWV ORLEANS, vLOUISIANA.

PORTABLE RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 426,877, dated April29, 1890,

Application filed April 26, 1889. Renewed March 22, 1890- SerialNo.34i4,986. (N0 model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDGAR LOUIS STREAM,

a citizen of the United States, residing at New Orleans, in the parishof Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Portable Railways; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, referencebeing had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification,and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a perspective View of a portion of aportable railroad-track constructed in accordance with my invention, andFig. 2 a detail view in perspective showing the two adjoining sectionsof the rail separated from each other.

The present invention has relation to that class of portablerailroad-tracks designed'especially for use upon sugar-plantations fortransporting the cane from the field to the mill; and the object of theinvention is to improve the construction of such railroad-track wherebythe several adjoining sections of rail are both securely and quicklyconnected to gether and as readily disconnected and separated forremoving to another part of the field. These objects are attained by theconstruction substantially as shown in the drawings, and hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the cross ties or bars, and BO the two adjoining sections of rail, connected together in a mannerhereinafter described.

The cross ties or bars A are of metahand may be of any suitable form andconstruction best adapted to the purpose, and connected thereto by anydesirable means are the two sections of the rails, forming togetherthe'sides of the track.

The coupling-ends of the rail-sections B extend across the tie or bar Aonly part way, so that when the adjoining end of the rail-section 0 isconnected thereto the tie or bar will form a support for both theadjoining ends of the tworail-sections, thereby forming a more rigidtrack and a firmer joint at the point of connection of the severalrail-section's.

The coupling end of the rail-section C is formed with a notch a, tocorrespond in form and shape to a tongue I; on the end of therail-section B, so that when the two sections B O are brought togetherthe tongue will en gage with the notch to assist in supporting themeeting ends of the rail-sections. The tongue may be either formed onthe end of the rail-section or connected to or cast with one or both ofthe coupling-plates D, which plates are riveted or otherwise connectedto the side of the rail-sections, and are preferably curved outward attheir free ends and are of sufficient length to project far enoughbeyond the end of the rail-section to come against the side of themeeting rail-section and form a coupling for the joint.

The coupling plate or plates are preferably of wrought-iron or of steel,and it is not essential that two of these plates be used, as one uponthe outer side of each rail-section in connection with the tongue andnotch would suffice to securely connect the two meeting rail-sectionstogether and prevent them from either raising or lowering at the joint.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with two adjoining railsections constructed andarranged to interlock, of a spring-plate attached to one rail andoverlapping the joint between the two rails and bearing against the webof the other rail, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with two adjoining railsections formed withprovisions for interlocking, of spring coupling-plates attached atoneend to one of the rails and the free ends curved and arranged to overlapthe joint be- EDGAR LOUIS STREAM.

VVitness es:

JOHN I. BARNETT,

H. L. Looms, Jr.

